Everglades City

Historic sites to swamp tours

Everglades City

The pure Florida of bygone days still exists in the Everglades region. Everglades City, the western gateway to Everglades National Park, is known as the "Stone Crab Capital of the World." Feast on the beloved crustacean's claws at rustic seafood houses and restaurants during stone crab season, October 15 through May 15.

Everglades City and nearby Chokoloskee Island give visitors a glimpse into Southwest Florida's past, with museums and small-town charm. They are favorite launch locations for boaters, anglers and paddlers exploring the Everglades Wilderness Waterway and Paradise Coast Blueway within the extensive Ten Thousand Islands coastal mangrove estuary. Aside from the famous Everglades National Park, notable parks and preserves in the area include the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest, Collier-Seminole State Park and nearby Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.

Signature events in Everglades City include the annual Everglades Seafood Festival in early February and Calusa Days in March at Everglades National Park's Gulf Coast Visitor Center.